Improved combination of knife, fork, and spoon



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEiCE.-

NATHAN AMES, OF SAUGUS CENTRE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED COMBINATION OF KNIFE, FORK, AND SPOON.

Specification forming part of Letters Fatent No. 33,285, dated September 17, 1861.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN AMEs,of Saw.

gus Centre, in the county ofEsseX and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invent-ed a new and useful Knife, Fork, and Spoon Combilled; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Like parts are indicated by the same letters in both figures, which are intended to be full size.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing a knife-blade with a fork, spoon, or forked spoon continuation on its back or at such an angle` with the cutting-edge that said 'continuation may be used for conveying food to the mouth without the danger or appearance of cutting, while at the same time, in eating many kinds of food, "the combination thus obtained answers the purpose of a knife, fork, and spoon, thereby avoiding the necessity of using and cleaning so many different implements.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed'to describe its construction and operation.

A is the handle of the ordinary construction. i

B is the knife-blade, of-iron, steel,silver, or any other suitable metal, and shaped, as far as to the dotted line f, like those in general i IISG.

b is the cutting-edge.

C is a continuation of the knife-blade B, and inclined to the same, as represented in the drawings. It may, however, form asomewhat greater or smaller angle with the edge of the blade, if desirable, and accomplish equally Well the object desired and described above.

So long, however, as the spoon, fork, or forked spoon C projects above or beyond the general line or, curve of the back of the knife, as shown in the drawings, and is so inclined to the cutting-edge as that its own blunt edge shall not impede the operation of cutting food, it will answer the purpose designed. An inclination of from fifty to sixty degrees I consider the most convenient forconveying food to the mouth, as that, inclination requires but little turning of the hand or knife.

d d CZ d are prongs of any desirable number and length at the end of the continuation C. These prongs, as well as the continuation C and knife-blade B, may be punched with a suitable die out of a fiat piece of sheet metal, which operation leaves the continuation C flat, as represented in Figure 2, forming a simple knife and fork combined and a very convenient article to use in cuttingand eating fruit, pastry, and many kinds of dessert; or the continuation C by hammering or swaging may be shaped as shown in Fig. 1, forminga knife, fork, and spoon combined, which may be applied to all the different uses of the separate implement; or, omitting' the prongs d, the continuation C maybe shaped as represented by the dotted line ein Fig. l, thusformingasimple knife and spoon combined, which can be used wherever one or both of them may be required.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Constructing a knife-blade with a spoon, fork, or forked spoon C, projecting above or beyond the general line or curve of the back of the knife and at any desirable angle with the edge, substantially as and for the purposes described.

Y NATI-IAN AMES. Witnesses:

L. A. AMES, DANIEL A. AMES. 

